I would be lying if I said I was always up on the latest consumer technology.  I was late to both the iPod and digital camera game (my 65-year-old Dad owned both before me), and I still have a regular old, non-smart phone.

So, unsurprisingly, I haven’t been quick to jump on the eBook/Kindle bandwagon.  I’ve seen people using them on the train, and yeah, like most technology, they do seem pretty cool.  But they’ve never been something I’ve felt the need to own.  I like the feeling of reading a book, and frankly, thumbing through the Sunday NY Times on my couch is a lot more satisfying and enjoyable than clicking through links on a website.  That said, I just read this article that sings the praises of eBooks, and I must say… I’m intrigued.

I think the social highlighting and notes features she mentions would probably be most useful to students who are reading for academic reasons.  I can’t really think of an instance where I’d want to highlight a fictional book I’m reading for fun, but hey you never know!  However, I do think the ability to look up words and search for topics in the book/on the web is a cool feature.  I wonder how all these options change the reading experience.  Is it for the better, or does it compromise it somehow?

Any thoughts or personal experience with this?  Should I add a Kindle to my (short) gadget list?